Improvement in printing-presses



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE:

GEORGE P. GORDON,

OF NEV YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN PRINTING-PRESSES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 18,545, dated November 3, 1857.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE I?. GORDON, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in the Construction of Printin g-Presses and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making a part of this specification, in which Figure l is a side view. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section through the center. Fig. 3 is a plan of the top of the machine. Fig. 4 is a special section separating the bed and distributing-tables from the other parts.

and showing positions of the rollers from time to time in their transit., these parts being broken oif at the red line. Fig. 5 is a separate section of the vertical guides and their relation to the feed-rollers 7c and m. Fig. G is a top section of the guides and feed Arollers 7i: and m at the red line, this being a special section.

4Similar marks of reference always denote the same parts in all the figures of the drawings.

My invention relates to the peculiar means employed for feeding a continuons sheet of paper or other suitable material to its proper place for printing, and in the use of adjustable shears or knives to cut off the proper length of paper or card after the same has been passed through the machine, it being printed in its transit through the machine; also, in the providing sidearms or a frame for the purpose of carrying the inking-rollers in such way as to give the same a continuous reversible motion as the rollers pass over the form, so that the impression may be taken at each alternate motion of the frame up and down, and this in combination with the means employed for actuating the reciprocating bedcarriage, upon which bed the form of types is placed. r

To enable those skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will describe its construction and operation.

The points of my invention are as follows, Viz:

First. The supply of a continuous sheet of paper or card by means of an adjustable crank or cam in joint action with its wheels, pawls, and the guides and feeding-wheels, all

of which are necessary to present the sheet in its proper length to the cutters or shears.

Second. The adaptation of'two distributing ink-tables, one on each side of the form of types, so that by continuous and reversible motion of the inking-rollers the form becomes inked as the rollers pass over it from one table to the other, the rollers the meanwhile continuing their onward course until they arrive to the eXtreme end of the distributingtable when they `receive a reverse motion and return in time to ink the form for the next impression by passing over it onto the opposite distributing table when the like operation takes place, and thus these alternate inkings are continued by distributing on one table for one impression and the op posite table for its successor progressively.

The bed or form is situated centrally between the two distributing ink-tables, and by a crank is thrown out immediately after the rollers have passed the point A on the distributingsurface AL and returns to its stationary or resting position before the reversed and returning rollers arrive at the same point again, when the rollers continue onward, passing over and inking the form, and having arrived at the point BX on distributing-surface BL the bed again advances, at each advance giving an impression. These letters apply particularly to Fig. 4 in the drawings.

Third. rllhe combined results of alternate inkiug by the continued progress of the reversible arms to carry the rollers forward and back, (so that an impression may be taken at each time the rollers pass over the form,) or one while it is on either opposite table to the other, and these with the alternate feeding, printing, and cutting of a continuous sheet of card or paper by the means described hereinafter.

Asl deem it important to give -a detailed description of the various parts of this machine, such as the common means of applying power, the crank movement for giving the impression, the means of distributingink, the arms for carrying rollers and the rollers themselves, the bed, platen, dac, I shall not, therefore, confine my description to those parts which with their collateral adj uncts it seems necessary to refer to and claim, but will proceed in detail, as follows, viz:

A on drawings represents the frame ofthe press, which may be constructed in any proper manner to support the working parts.

F F represent two parallel vertical plates, the inner ends of which have curved projections a, on their upper and lower sides, and to these curved projections curved plates G arel attached, side plates forming segments or parts of a circle, of which the driving-shaft B is the center, the plates G being the two distributing-tables. The shaftB passes through the outer ends of the plates F, the crank E being between them.

On the shaft B there are placed loosely two collars H II, and to each collar I'I an arm Iis attached. The outer ends of these arms are connected by a cross-piece J, and the inner ends of the arms have slots l) formed or made in them, said slots receiving the journals of rollers K, the journals being kept in their slots by spiral springs c, which are connected to the ends of the journals and to the sides of the arms I I. (Seen in Figs. 1 and 3.)

Between the two plates F F a bed-carriage L is fitted, said bedcarriage working on guides c', attached to the inner sides of the plates, the guides fitting in grooves in the sides of the.bedcarriage.

M is a pitman or connecting-rod, one end of which is pivoted to the bed-carriage L and the opposite end is connected to the crank E.

To the inner end of the bed-carriage L the form N is attached, the said form being` in a vertical position, as clearly shown in Fig. 2.

On the shaftB a toothed wheel O is placed. This wheel O gears into a corresponding wheel I), the shaft or axis d of which is fitted in one side of the frame A. To the inner end of the shaft or axis d a wheel or disk Q is attached, and a pin e is attached to said wheel or disk near its periphery.4

R is an arm, the lower end of which works on a center pin f, attached to the lower part of the frame at one side. The upper end of the arm R has a semicircular slot g made in it,in which slot the pin e on thewheel or disk Q is vfitted and works.

To the outer end ot the axis vor shaft (l a slotted plate S is secured. This plate is secured to the end of the axis or shaft d by a screw 7l, as shown clearly in Fig. 1. To one end of the plate S a pitman or connect-ingrod T is attached, this pitinan or rod being also attached to an arm t', which is fitted loosely on one end of a shaft U, which is fitted in the frame A. The outer end of the arm 1l has a pawl j attached to it, said pawl catching into a ratchet j', which is permanently secured on the shaft U. The toothed wheel P gears into a larger wheel V, which travels at half the speed of P. This wheel V has an arm WV attached to it near its periphery. The upper end of the arm W is fitted or works on the end of an arm X, which is attached to one of the arms I.

On the shaft U two rollers vK K are attached. These rollers have beads or projections Z on their peripheries, which beads or projections iit in grooves in rollers m m, the axes of which are placed in the lower ends of pendants In., attached to the frame A.

Y represents a platen, which is attached to a cross-piece Z on the frame A. The platen Y is directly opposite to and parallel with the form N. To the inner surface or side of the platen Y two guides 0 o are attached, between which guides the continuous sheet or card A is placed, said sheet or card'passin g down between the rollers 7c t and m m. Directly below the rollers 7o 7c and on m a bar B is secured. The ends of this bar are attached to plates p p, one plate at each end, and these plates are slotted and secured to the sides ot the frame A by set-screws q. To the under side ot' the bar B a bar or steel plate r is secured, and a steel plate s is pivoted at one end to the under side of the bar B or to the plate r. The opposite end of the plate s is connected by a rod t to the upper part of the arm R. The two plates r and s form shears, and the faces or inner edges are grooved to form proper cutting-edges.

The operation of the press is as follows: The sheet or card A is placed between the guides o o on the platen Y, the lower end of the sheet or card being passed between the rollers 7c 7tand m fm. Motion is given to the driving-shaft B in any proper manner, and a reciprocating motion is given to the bed-carriage L and form N by means of the crank E and connecting-rod or pitman M. A vibratory motion is also given to the arms I I and the rollers K K by means of the arm IV, connected with the wheel V; and an intermittent rotating motion is given to the shaft U by means of the connecting-rod .l, connected with the plate S and the arm i. The plate S of the shears also has a vibratory motion given it by the rod t, connected to said plate and to l the arm R, the said arm R being actuated by the curved or semicircular slot g, in which the pin e is fitted and works. Each time the bedcarriage L is moved forward the from N is pressed against the sheet A', and an impression is given, and each time the bedcarriage and form is drawn back from the platen Y the ink-rollers K K pass over` it, the rollers receiving the ink as they pass over the plates or distrib'uting-surfaces G G, the ink-rollers passing over the upper and lower plates G G alternately. The said ink-rollers alternating from one ink-distributing surface or plate G to another between the impressions. As each impression is given,l the sheet or card A is fed downward by the action of the rollers 7c 7c and m lm, and the length of this feed movement must of course correspond to the size or length of the impression, or to the size of the card or sheet to be printed. The feed movement therefore requires to be varied, and provision is made for this in the slotted plate S or adjustable crank, by adjusting which the end of the rod T may be brought nearer to or farther from the shaft or axis cl,

and consequently the length ofthe movement `of the arm t' and the feed movement of the rollers 7e and 'm may be varied as desired. At the termination of each movement of the rollers 7c and m a portion of the sheet or card A containing the impression is cut oif by the movement of the plate s; and the card or sheet is cut off from the continuous sheet A by the two plates r and s, which are in fact shears. It will be seen that it is essential that the shears be made adjustable in order that the cards or sheets may be cut oi at the proper points, so that an equal margin may be left all' around the impression. This is effected by having the bar B attached to the sides of the frame A by the plates p-,said

plates being adjustable, as previously described. Figs. 5 and 6 are introduced the more ,clearly to illustrate the position and duties of the sheet-feeding rollers to revolve jointly together by means of the toothed peripheries meshing one into the other, causing them to revolve at equal speed, their impinging surface pressing against the strip of card or paper, one on each opposite side of the strip, by which the strip is drawn through the guides o onward to the extent they may be moved by the adjustable crank through their intermediate connections. These feeding-rollers are k and m, and the adjustable crank or cam is known as e. This crank, being adjustable, is the motor for drawing the strip, and in proportion to its length actuates friction-rollers k and m. At the back of the rollers m its journal has a spring to press up against the strip.

I would here remark that the arrangement to pass a set of rollers but once over the form (an impression being taken While the rollers are on their transit for distribution) Without any stop of the rollers to ink the form is novel, and gains me the advantage of giving two impressions where but one would be given if the rollers had to go and return befJre an impression could be given, this, in connection with the two distributingsurfaces, `giving a far better inking than by any press heretofore presented. Through the arms or frame having an alternating motion in a continuous yet reversible motion, it approaches and recedes from extreme opposite directions. All the other parts being either rotating or rotating-reciprocatin g mot-ions, so far as the motors are concerned, admit of no limit to their speed, provided the sheet be properly fed, Which is the case in the apparatus here presented.

Having thus described my invention, What I desire to secure by Letters Patent isl. The arrangement of a bed with its form of types between two distributing-tables so that the impression may be taken while one table is inking the rollers and distributing the ink by passing to and fro upon the distributing-table on one side, and at the alternate time an impression may be taken While the rollers are passing over the opposite distributing-table, thus allowing of the reversal of the rollers at the extreme ends of the two tables, meeting and inking the form in its transit from one extreme to the other, and allowing the impression to be taken at each inking of the form without Waiting for the return of the rollers.

2. The arrangement of the variable eccentric or its equivalent with the sheet guides or gages, and friction feed-rollers for the purpose of drawing in evenly the sheet or strip any required distance.

3. The arrangement of means described for feeding, printing, cutting', and counting the cards or sheets of paper, with the means described for the inking and alternately distributing the ink, substantially as set forth.

' GEO. P. GORDON.

Vitnesses:

J. L. KINGsLEY, JOHN WATSON. 

